Looking into the lectionary 22 hours ago

Acts 16:9-15; Revelation 21:10; 21:22-22:5; John 5:1-9 “I go down, down, down.” Reflecting on her experience of walking from the concrete deck into the deep end of the pool, my then nearly 2-year-old described wide-eyed what happened earlier that day. Her surprise still evident even hours after she briefly went “down, down, down.” She discovered that she could not, in fact, walk on water in Columbus, Georgia, at a hotel swimming pool. I’d been in the shallow end with her brother, my husband seated nearby, when our little girl, trusting… continue reading...

Outpost Blog 2 days ago

We asked our bloggers to share their biggest dreams for the church. Here’s what they imagine. We can put a man on the moon, but the church still has a food pantry. I recently watched the first season of “Mars” from the National Geographic channel. (No season 2 spoilers please!) It follows a hypothetical mission to Mars in the 2030s while sneaking in some documentary education from actual space exploration up through 2016, and for a sci-fi fan like me, it’s a very bingeworthy show now that it’s on… continue reading...

Book Reviews 2 days ago

Mary Gordon Shambhala Press, 160 pages The renowned novelist Mary Gordon has done what few people can do: say something new about Thomas Merton. She begins by announcing the paradox: A monk vowed to silence produced more words than most writers. Though Merton was dedicated to solitude as a Trappist hermit, nevertheless an international company of seekers, celebrities, writers and activists were drawn to him for guidance. Thus the paradox: solitude gives birth to community — a community that continues 40 years after his death. Silence brought forth the written… continue reading...

Ministering with the Earthby The Presbyterian Outlook January 1, 1998Book Reviews67 viewsBy Mary Elizabeth MooreChalice. 1998. 226 pp. Pb. $19.99. ISBN 0-8272-2323-4 Ministering with the Earth is a quiltwork, both the on-the-ground activity and Moore's book about so ministering. Moore, professor of theology and Christian education at Claremont School of Theology, is fond of the metaphor, suitably pastoral and feminist.

Remembered Voice: Reclaiming the Legacy of 'Neo-Orthodoxy'by The Presbyterian Outlook January 1, 1998Book Reviews65 viewsBy Douglas John HallWJKP. 1998. 145 pp. Pb. $18. ISBN 0-664-25772-0 It was in this order. I first read Tillich's Dynamics of Faith. Riveting. Next came The Courage to Be. Gripping. Then I went back and read the first volume of the Systematic Theology. Things began to make sense. Next came Biblical Religion and the Search for Ultimate Reality. Positive.

General Assembly approves per capita increase as last item of business in St. Louisby Jill Duffield June 23, 2018Outlook Reporting2 commentsST. LOUIS – The 2018 General Assembly voted June 23 to increase the General Assembly per capita rate to $8.95 per member in 2019 and $8.95 per member in 2020.
That’s an increase of just over 15 percent from the 2018 per capita rate of $7.73 per member. The assembly voted 359-43 to approve that.
Some commissioners argued that the increase will harm the ministry of presbyteries if congregations don’t send the full per capita amount and mid councils try to make up the difference – sending the money to the national church at the expense of mid council ministry.
Others argued that this assembly had voted ...

Presbyterian Mission Agency Board issues public statement on ethics investigationby Leslie Scanlon April 16, 2015Outlook Reporting1 commentAfter spending roughly 12 hours meeting in closed session over two days, the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board emerged with a public statement April 16 about how it plans to address an ethics investigation involving four employees connected with an ethics investigation within the 1001 New Worshiping Communities program of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A).
Shortly after 7 p.m. on April 16, Marilyn Gamm, the board’s chair, announced in a brief statement the decisions the board had made in its closed sessions. Gamm said that:
The board voted to authorize one of the lawyers it has hired,

Hoey files defamation lawsuit against PC(USA)by Leslie Scanlon June 25, 2015Outlook Reporting1 commentA second defamation lawsuit has been filed against the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) A Corporation – the denomination’s corporate entity – stemming from an ethics investigation involving the 1001 New Worshipping Communities program.
Eric Hoey, who has served as the PC(USA)’s director of Evangelism and Church Growth, filed suit in Jefferson Circuit Court in Kentucky on June 16.
Hoey is the second person involved with the investigation to file a defamation suit. Roger Dermody – who was hired in 2010 as the PC(USA)’s deputy executive director for mission, serving directly under Linda Valentine, executive direct...

We asked our bloggers to share their biggest dreams for the church. Here’s what they imagine.
If I could dream anything for the church knowing that the dream would emerge as reality, I would dream of pure hearts and expansive imaginations. From childhood playgrounds to adult boardrooms, not much seems to change. Children hurting children. Adults wounding adults.
But, we are made for union — union with one another and with God. When we see ourselves connected with everyone and everything else, we begin to see reality. But we cover our eyes with opaque filters.
When one part of the body hurts, the whole body feels the pain. When one part of the body rejoices, the whole body swells with joy.
If I could dream anything for the church, it would be a renewed, inclusive vision of herself and the world.
During a class last year at San Francisco Theological Seminary, I attempted to awaken such a vision within myself. I wrote:
Borrow my vision and you will see an expansive … [Read more...]

Church of the Covenant — Arlington, Virginia
What’s right about Church of the Covenant? We’ve got rhythm.
The church’s children’s drum ensemble and adult choir led worship together during our first-ever Kids Music Sunday on March 3. Our intergenerational worship leaders taught the congregation a special handshake to help pass the peace, added percussion to our hymns and performed a joint anthem together.
And the music isn’t stopping anytime soon! We’re passionate about finding new ways to keep God’s rhythm together and to use that music to get to know our neighbors. Last year, that has looked like a community karaoke party, pumpkin caroling and making music with our weekly afterschool Christian education program. In the months ahead, we’ll keep the beat with a s’mores and campfire sing-a-long, a neighborhood arts worship service and a music and meditation hike. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by — and grab a drum.
— Billy Kluttz, community music and arts … [Read more...]

Clear Lake Presbyterian Church (clpc.org), a large, friendly, missionally-focused PC(USA) church located in the shadow of NASA in the Clear Lake area of Houston, Texas, is looking for a dedicated full-time NextGen Student Ministry Director.
More information here: hireayouthpastor.com/churches/1790/jobs/2720.
For questions or to submit a résumé email: [email protected] … [Read more...]

(OGA) FAIRFIELD, California — When Jose Guzman got out of the army in 1992, he seriously considered taking his own life. He was suffering from Post-Traumatic Distress Syndrome (PTSD). The pain and trauma of being in war drove him to drugs and alcohol and nearly cost him his marriage and ultimately his life. It would take eighteen years before he got the help he needed from the Veterans Administration.
As many as twenty veterans take their own lives each day according to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, and the problem is getting worse. A group of faith leaders and chaplains gathered at the Rockville Presbyterian Fellowship in Fairfield, California, on Thursday to address the growing problem. They represented Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, United Church of Christ, and other denominations. The Air Force, Army, Navy, and Civil Air Patrol were among the branches of service represented.
The Reverend Cindy Kohlmann, Co-Moderator of the 223rd General Assembly … [Read more...]

Acts 11:1-18; Revelation 21:1-6; John 13:31-35
Easter 5C
Gentiles receive the Holy Spirit. A whole new heaven and earth emerges. The holy city descends with the declaration “the home of God is among mortals.”
There are some big happenings in this week’s lectionary texts. Acts and Revelation reveal a new creation occurring as the Spirit breaches barriers between peoples and the resurrection power of Easter reverberates between heaven and earth. Nothing remains untouched or unchanged in the wake of Jesus being raised from the dead, and no one’s preferences or pre-conceived notions of divine parameters will prevent the Triune God from making all things new.
Peter explains step by step that which defies any human explanation. And yet, he makes the attempt and – another sign of the work of the Spirit – those who at first condemn his actions hear and accept his account. They are left speechless and then moved to praise God for this heretofore unbelievable happening. Even the … [Read more...]

LOUISVILLE (Outlook) — The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has appealed a defamation case involving Eric Hoey, who was formerly the PC(USA)’s director of evangelism and church growth, to the United States Supreme Court.
Hoey was one of four men caught up in an ethics investigation involving the 1001 New Worshipping Communities program, and lost his job with the denomination in 2015. Not long after that, he filed a defamation case against the PC(USA).
The PC(USA) is now appealing a 2018 ruling of the Kentucky Supreme Court involving that case.
On April 30, John Sheller, an outside counsel representing the church, filed an application for a stay of that Kentucky Supreme Court decision with Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
On May 6, Sotomayor denied that application.
On May 8, Sheller filed an application again, this time with Justice Neil Gorsuch.
On May 14, that application was distributed for conference by the full Supreme Court, scheduled to be considered at conference on May … [Read more...]

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News from Other Sources ▼

With an increased number of state legislatures passing laws to severely curtail access to abortion, the Advocacy Committee for Women’s Concerns (ACWC) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is compelled to advocate for …

(RNS) — In 1978, photographer Jim Judkis got a big break.
People magazine asked him to photograph Fred Rogers, the beloved public television host of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” which was in its 10th …

(PNS) LOUISVILLE — Thousands of youths from across the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church are gearing up for five sweaty days of “conversation, recreation, learning, worship and fun” at …

(PNS) FAIRFIELD, California —
In Ephesians, Chapter 2, the reader is reminded that God is rich in mercy and grace, and people are saved through grace, not by good works. On Friday, the Reverend Cindy Kohlmann, …

(RNS) — The past year has been filled with stories of alleged sexual misconduct and abuse by Protestant Christian pastors.
Bill Hybels retired early from the influential Chicago-area megachurch he founded, Willow …

(RNS) — Nearly a quarter of Canadians today say they have no religious affiliation — about the same as in the U.S. But a forthcoming book by two Canadian researchers says that it is easier to be a “none” in …

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Outpost Blog 5 days ago

We asked our bloggers to share their biggest dreams for the church. Here’s what they imagine. If I could dream anything for the church knowing that the dream would emerge as reality, I would dream of pure hearts and expansive imaginations. From childhood playgrounds to adult boardrooms, not much seems to change. Children hurting children. Adults wounding adults. But, we are made for union — union with one another and with God. When we see ourselves connected with everyone and everything else, we begin to see reality. But we cover…

What's right? 5 days ago

Church of the Covenant — Arlington, Virginia What’s right about Church of the Covenant? We’ve got rhythm. The church’s children’s drum ensemble and adult choir led worship together during our first-ever Kids Music Sunday on March 3. Our intergenerational worship leaders taught the congregation a special handshake to help pass the peace, added percussion to our hymns and performed a joint anthem together. And the music isn’t stopping anytime soon! We’re passionate about finding new ways to keep God’s rhythm together and to use that music to get to know…

Outpost Blog 1 week ago

I noticed early on that when pastors get together, one of two things tends to happen. Either everybody gets into a contest about how “my church is better than yours” – or, somehow, everyone gets into a contest about how “my job is worsethan yours!” It boggles my mind, but I’ve seen it happen over and over again – and even succumbed to the temptation myself. Isn’t it strange how we get into arguments over who has it worse? I don’t want to win the contest of “who has the…

Book Reviews 1 week ago

Shane Claiborne and Michael Martin Brazos Press, 288 pages Reviewed by David Ensign The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church offered its first advice to the church and the culture about gun violence in America in 1968, calling for control of the sale and possession of fire arms of all kinds. Some 50 years later, the church keeps speaking, but it cannot be heard above the cracks of gunfire and the wails of lamentation. That sad state of affairs left me with slim hope that I would encounter anything new…